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The Upside to My Experience With Gestational Diabetes

by Jessica Wolstenholm on August 25, 2014

Jessica Wolstenholm

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

When I was pregnant with my first child, my OB told me that because I have polycystic ovary syndrome (or PCOS), I had a higher risk of getting gestational diabetes (GD). While most moms-to-be get tested for GD around 27 weeks, she tested me at 12 weeks. I gulped down the disgusting sugar water with my slightly swollen belly and silently hoped I'd be the exception. When I failed that first test, I continued to hope I'd pass the next. Three more little bottles of sugar water and five hours spent pacing the doctor's office later, I got the dreaded news.

"You have gestational diabetes. It's common for PCOS patients to get GD, and I'm hopeful that with diet and exercise, you won't have to take insulin," my doctor told me.

I hung up the phone and cried. I'd fought for this pregnancy -- endured years of waiting and suffered two miscarriages. Was I really having to face this, too? I'd heard so many stories from friends about GD leading to tough pregnancies and big babies. I was already terrified of pushing that melon out of my body; I couldn't bear the thought that she'd look less like a honeydew and more like a giant watermelon.

I called a friend and her words still echo in my heart, "Jess, I think this is going to be a blessing."

I wasn't even sure what she meant at first. How is it a blessing to have to spend six months on a strict diet, possibly take insulin shots and be robbed of the joy and midnight ice cream runs that come with pregnancy?

I met with a nutritionist that next week and we laid out a plan including a strict, low- and controlled-carb diet. I could only consume a certain number of carbs per day, and those carbs had to be spaced well throughout the day to ensure my blood sugar levels did not rise. Thankfully, I didn't have to take insulin and within weeks my fingers numbed to the every two-hour needle prick (from needing to check my glucose levels).

Here's what a typical day on the diet looked like:

First thing in the morning: Blood sugar test

Breakfast: Protein, veggies and two carb servings (where one serving = 15 grams of carbs; for example, one piece of bread or 1/3 cup of pasta or rice). My nutritionist told me I couldn't eat fruit because it's so much harder to process fruit sugars in the morning; so I couldn't enjoy any fruit until midday.

Two hours post-breakfast: Blood sugar test

Snack: Protein and one carb

Lunch: Protein, fruit and veggies and four carbs

Twohours post-lunch: Blood sugar test

Snack: Protein and one carb

Dinner: Protein, fruit and veggies and four carbs

Twohours post-dinner: Blood sugar test

Snack: Protein and one carb. I had to keep mind that what I ate right before bed could affect my morning blood sugar reading.

I recorded every single thing I put into my mouth in a food journal that I gave to my OB each week. I also recorded my blood sugar levels. If they were high more than two or three times throughout the week, I got a talking to from my doctor. But I did have some flexibility, and she even gave me the green light to enjoy whatever I wanted at my baby shower.

At first the new diet was tough: I remember bursting into tears at a local cafe (thank you, pregnancy hormones!) because the apple I'd chosen to eat (instead of potato chips) caused my blood sugar to skyrocket. My family was there and they came to my aid, offering support and comfort. They cheered me on those six months I went without eating a bagel. I eventually got used to it, knowing it was a plan I should follow long term given the weight issues that come with PCOS.

As time went on, I felt amazing. I loved being pregnant, my baby was healthy and although the eating plan I was forced to adapt due to GD was inconvenient at times, the way I felt made up for it. I learned to work within the system -- that occasionally (okay, almost every night) half a Hershey bar covered in peanut butter is technically only one serving of carbs. I figured out what worked for me -- what I needed to do to win within the parameters I was given.

The day I gave birth to my healthy baby girl, I weighed 20 pounds less than the day I conceived. (Not all moms with GD experience weight loss, but it's what happened to me.) I realized that I was fortunate and that gestational diabetes -- while difficult at times -- was a wake-up call, a message from my body demanding that I adjust my lifestyle. My diet needed to be controlled -- for my baby -- and for me. Having GD showed me what my body needs to thrive: Eating less carbs, spaced out through the day, is the key for me to stay healthy -- a lesson that has helped me during pregnancy and postpartum, too.

Almost three years later, when I was pregnant with my second child, a son, I passed that first test for gestational diabetes with flying colors. Even though I still had PCOS, my body was changing. I continued to follow the low-carb eating plan throughout my pregnancy, knowing it would lead to the best outcome. And it did. My weight gain was minimal, and once again I had discovered a long-term eating plan that worked for my body.

In a twisted way, you could say that in my case gestational diabetes actually was a blessing that I didn't even know I needed.

Everyone's experience with gestational diabetes and PCOS is different. Be sure to ask you doctor for guidance about the best way to manage these conditions for you.